PKL preview: Puneri Paltan looks for first win and Thalaivas sniff two consecutive wins

Day two of the Chennai leg of the Pro Kabaddi League features two intriguing match-ups.

Tamil Thalaivas (Blue & Yellow) will be looking to make it two wins on the trot after defeating Patna pirates in the opening game of the tournament.

Day two of the Chennai leg of the Pro Kabaddi League features two intriguing match-ups. The Puneri Paltan takes on the Haryana Steelers and in the second match, the Tamil Thalaivas meets UP Yoddha.

Tamil Thalaivas will be looking to make it two wins on the trot after defeating Patna pirates in the opening game of the tournament and Puneri Paltan will try to get its first win after squeezing out a tie against U Mumbai in a thrilling encounter on the first day.

READ: Thalaivas stun Pirates; U Mumba, Paltan play out a thriller

Puneri Paltan vs Haryana Steelers

Puneri Paltan rides high on confidence and momentum after a late dash in the final minute earned it a tie against a U Mumbai that narrowly led throughout the game. A team that is defensively strong will come up against one of last season's top raiders, Haryana's Monu Goyat, who played an excellent second fiddle to Pardeep Narwhal at Patna Pirates, scoring 191 raid points. Justifying the ₹1.51 crore price tag and playing as the main raider in the team are the challenges he faces from the off.

Paltan's strength in defence will be matched by Steelers' Surender Nada, who has established himself as one of the best defenders in the league. But, without Mohit Chillar - his trusted partner - in the team this time, Nada will have to forge a new defensive partnership with an inexperienced Vikash in the right corner. Paltan's Nitin Tomar could be a big threat to the Steelers, after scoring 15 raid points against U Mumba.

AS IT HAPPENED: PKL 2018 Day 1

Tamil Thalaivas vs UP Yoddha

Tamil Thalaivas proved itself a balanced and well-coordinated team in its 42-26 defeat of Patna Pirates. As Ajay Thakur and Surjeet Singh bullied the opponent with each successful raid, Manjeet Chillar and Amit Hooda ensured Pardeep Narwal and his fellow raiders were kept in checks.

Thalaivas could experience a deja-vu when it comes up against a defensively weak team like UP Yoddha. The Yoddha defence's shortfalls were underlined by the stat that not one of its defenders featured in last season's top-15.

Rishank Devadiga and Prashant Kumar Rai are the main attacking outlets. Devadiga is known for his super raids, but with inadequate support from the defence, he could suffer the same fate as Pardeep Narwal. Other than Devadiga, Rai and defender Jeeva Kumar, UP Yoddha doesn't boast any big names.